Outside the world of conventional automobiles there exists a sub-category of vehicles that place a great amount of emphasis on two things: security and protection. Most car consumers are fine with “normal” cars, but politicians, VIPs, royal family members, dignitaries, and other “important” individuals whose lives may be at risk need vehicles that can protect them. Now you could be a president that drives around in an armored tank, or you could get the newest Range Rover Sentinel, as it is essentially a luxury tank.
Okay, it doesn’t have machine guns or missile launchers, but the Sentinel does provide a range of attractive features that are important to some. Land Rover has a rich history of designing military-grade vehicles, and the Range Rover Sentinel is their newest vehicle. Essentially the car combines all of the luxury features seen in the brands highest-end Range Rovers with all the protection one needs to thwart assassination attempts, for example.
The Sentinel is described as a “mobile fortress” and was developed by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations Division, which concerns themselves with designing their military-grade luxury cars. On the surface it may appear like any Range Rover, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts. It’s based on the Range Rover Autobiography, the brands top-of-the-line model, so it has a range of premium luxury features (comfortable interior, a multimedia system, various driving modes, a high-end surround sound system, etc.). But unlink the Autobiography, the Sentinel could theoretically be driven in a war zone. The car is completely wrapped in layers of armor, meaning that it can stop standard 7.62mm armor-piercing bullets in addition to withstanding blasts from up to 33 pounds of TNT and DM51 rated grenade explosions. In other words, assailants can lob grenades and shoot at the car all they like and it won’t even matter.
The vehicle’s windows are not only completely tinted and bulletproof, they are smash-proff as well. So if you find yourself in the middle of a riot for example, you can take comfort in knowing that no one can break the windows. Additionally the Sentinel has a range of other protective features. The vehicles bottom and exhaust have been designed in a way that it makes it nearly impossible to tamper with. If the electrical systems were to fail, it also has a backup power supply. The fuel tank even has a self-sealing system, so if it were punctured by a bullet, it would plug up the hole on its own. The Sentinel has also been outfitted with special tires that can be driven on even if all the tires went flat. Land Rover have also outfitted the car with an ingenious escape system. If passengers were ever to be trapped in the car and the doors were blocked, there is an emergency escape system allowing you to escape from the back. Under the hood, the Sentinel has a powerful 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine that delivers 337bhp, which is plenty of power to allow drivers to make a quick getaway.
The Range Rover Sentinel will make its official debut at the Defense and Security Equipment International Show that will be held in London between the 15th and 18th of September. Land Rover will be producing these cars by hand per special order through their SVO Division. There’s no official word on the price, but it’s expected to cost somewhere in the ballpark of $615,000 dollars. That’s quite a lot of money, but given what the Sentinel has to offer and who it’s intended for, it’s fairly reasonable. So if you’re a high-ranking political official or a member of a royal family whose life may be at risk, this is the vehicle to get.
Photos from Land Rover
